


Manchurian Matt

by whitchry9



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Brainwashing, Conditioning, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Mind Control, Past Brainwashing, Seizures, Stick is a dick, Trigger words, foggy saves the day, hand wavey science, manchurian agent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-05-17 23:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5889469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitchry9/pseuds/whitchry9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Daredevil has a seizure while watching Godzilla (in the original Japanese, because Clint insisted), they find out that he was kind of programmed with trigger words when he was a kid. And that it's not going to stop anytime soon, unless they do something about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt can be found here: http://daredevilkink.dreamwidth.org/6856.html?thread=12962504#cmt12962504

Clint had declared it a movie classic, and insisted they watch it in the original Japanese.

Considering that only Tony and Natasha knew Japanese, or were at least the only ones admitting to knowing Japanese, Clint at least agreed to find a version with English subtitles.

Which really didn't help Matt, as he would be watching a movie in a language he didn't speak, nor could he see.

At least he knew the general plot of the movie, and could follow along in case someone asked him a question about it.

Or he could always admit to dozing off, which may happen if things continued the way they were going.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Steve was happy that Daredevil had agreed to stay for a movie night. The man had fought alongside them before, even coming back to the Tower a few times to get patched up if one of them insisted, but he'd never stayed for pizza and a movie, despite how many times they'd asked.

But this time, he agreed, much to everyone's surprise, and to celebrate, Clint put on the original Godzilla movie, in Japanese. It was one Steve hadn't seen before, and wouldn't have chosen, at least not in Japanese, but since Natasha agreed it was better than the Americanized version, no one argued.

Daredevil continued to wear his mask the entire night, and Steve did wonder how he managed to read the subtitles through the mask. Or maybe he knew Japanese. There were so many things about the man that Steve didn't know, and he wasn't about to rule anything out.

 

They were watching the scene where the scientists were arguing about the use of a weapon, even if to stop Godzilla, when Daredevil stood up suddenly.

Clint eyed him. “You okay man?”

When Daredevil didn't respond, Clint paused the movie.

“Hey, you okay?” Steve asked, getting up to check on him. It was hard to tell what he was thinking because the mask covered most of his face, and most importantly, his eyes.

Before Steve could even start to get a look at him, the man fell to the ground, stiff, and started shaking.

 

“Well shit,” Tony said, and that pretty much summed up what was going through Steve's mind.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce knew what to do during a seizure, because apparently that's what it was, or so he told them afterwards, when Daredevil stopped shaking and was resting relatively comfortably in a bed in the medical wing.

Steve hadn't seen a seizure up close before, and wasn't expecting one either, so when Daredevil went down, he stared at him for a minute in shock.

Bruce was the one who got up, the one who ordered Steve to move the nearby couch so Daredevil didn't hurt himself, who told Natasha to note the time and keep track, the one who told Clint to get medical prepped, who told Tony to get the file he knew he had on who Daredevil was.

 

And when Daredevil stopped shaking (“two minutes, seventeen seconds,” Natasha told them), Steve was the one who picked the man up and carried him to medical, where Clint was waiting, and Tony had the file on Daredevil's identity loaded.

 

Natasha was the one who removed his mask, after a brief hesitation that anyone who didn't know her would have missed.

 

Bruce got straight to business, checking a pulse, making sure the man was breathing, and shining a light in his eyes to check for a pupil response.

He paused, and Steve instantly became more anxious.

“What?” he asked.

“There's... no pupil response,” Bruce said, running the penlight over his eyes again.

“Nah, it's okay,” Tony chimed in from the corner. “His name is Matthew and he's blind.”

Everyone froze.

“He's... blind?” Steve asked. How did that work? How was he a superhero? And most importantly, how did none of them notice?

Based on Natasha's face, she was wondering the same thing.

“Okay...” Bruce said slowly. “Is there anything in his medical history about seizures? Epilepsy? Head injuries?”

“Surprisingly, I didn't read the whole thing, because privacy.”

“Shocking,” Natasha muttered.

“His medical history is surprisingly light for a vigilante, but he did mention that he had someone who'd patch him up, and I'm guessing that wasn't through any real hospital, so there could be things that the records don't show.”

“Makes sense,” Bruce muttered, tracing a number of wounds on Matt's torso, his shirt having been removed by Natasha to make room for the electrodes she was pulling out for Bruce to attach.

“Hey Matt,” Bruce told him. “I'm just checking you over, okay?”

As far as Steve could tell, Matt wasn't conscious, but he supposed it was to reassure him, in case he could hear.

“Do you need anything?” Steve asked, anxious to be of some sort of help.

“I think I've got this covered,” Bruce said. “Do you have a contact number for a friend or relative Tony?”

Tony fiddled with his tablet for a moment. “Yeah, I've got one.”

“Maybe you could make the call Steve, discretely,” Bruce suggested, sticking electrodes down to Matt's chest. “In case they don't know.”

“Oh yeah, sure.” He moved over to near Tony in the corner, looking at the information on the tablet Tony passed him.

“No relatives, but this is his business partner. I'm still trying to figure out who patches him up, since it's not exactly in any sort of file.”

Steve nodded. “Okay, thanks. I'll call him.”

He stepped out of the room to do it, keeping an eye on the proceedings through the glass. Natasha was still standing next to Bruce, helping. Clint was perched on a chair in the corner, and Tony was fiddling with his tablet.

 

The phone rang twice before a man answered.

“Hello, is this Franklin Nelson?” Steve asked.

“Yes, it is,” the man replied, sounding slightly skeptical. “Who are you?”

“My name is Steve. Are you friends with Matthew Murdock?”

“Oh jesus, what has he done? Don't tell me... oh god are you _that_ Steve? Steve Rogers? Like, Captain fucking America Steve?”

Steve winced a little bit at the harsh tone. “Yes, that's me.”

“I'm guessing he got hurt doing something that involved aliens or magic, am I right?” the man asked.

Okay, so he did know about Daredevil. That made Steve's job a bit easier.

“Actually, he had a seizure. We were wondering if there's anything in his medical history that might not be on file with a hospital.”

There was noise in the background. “Yeah, probably, but you'd have to ask Claire about that, since he doesn't tell me much. Are you at Avengers Tower?”

“Yes, but-”

“I'm coming,” Franklin interrupted, before Steve could even tell him he didn't need to worry. And maybe that would have been the wrong thing to say, because from the looks of things, Matt still wasn't stirring.

“Okay,” Steve conceded. “I'll make sure security knows you're coming.”

The man hung up, muttering something about idiot friends.

Steve knew how that felt.

 

He let himself back into the room and made his way over to Tony in the corner.

“The friend mentioned a person named Claire had more medical records. Maybe use that to narrow down your search?”

Tony pressed a few keys and the screen lit up with the profile of a nurse from Metro General.

“I'll give her a call,” he decided. “Jarvis, connect me,” he said, already walking out. “No, I don't care if she's at work, this is important.”

Steve turned his attention back to Matthew. “How's he doing?” he asked Bruce, eyeing the monitors that had since been connected. They didn't tell him much more than what he already knew- the man was alive, albeit unconscious still.

“Postictal. It's like the brain rebooting after a seizure, but it's taking him longer than I'd expect. It could be normal for him, but until we have more information, I really can't say. His brainwaves are still showing some abnormal patterns, but they don't look like seizure activity, as far as I can tell.”

The lines just appeared wavy to Steve, but he assumed there was an art to reading them that Bruce had at least a tenuous grasp on.

“So really, all we can do is wait for more of a medical history, and see when he wakes up.”

Steve nodded, and settled in with his tablet, unable to resist looking up the blind man he'd been fighting alongside for months now.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Franklin Nelson, Foggy as he introduced himself immediately, took a short moment to stare at Steve in amazement before demanding to see his friend.

“He's still not with it, really,” Steve explained.

“He had a seizure?” Foggy asked. “Like, definitely a seizure?”

Steve nodded. “Bruce confirmed. Apparently the EEG he did right after showed some residual seizure activity, so that sealed it, even if the... seizing part wasn't enough.”

“Has he been awake? Has he said anything?”

“Not that I know,” Steve admitted. “I left him about ten minutes ago, but he could have woken up in that time.”

“Right. Did someone call Claire? I bet you this is the result of some head injury he got and didn't tell anyone about because it was 'no big deal',” he muttered, sounding bitter.

Steve bit back a smile. Foggy sounded a lot like someone else he knew. “Tony managed to get ahold of her. Apparently the most recent thing Matt had seen her for was some bruised ribs a week or so ago. He hasn't gotten a head injury for months, at least by her estimates.”

Foggy huffed, and the elevator doors opened right on cue.

Steve led him down the hall to the room when Matt was still being held. It didn't look like he'd woken up.

Foggy marched right in there, grabbed Matt's hand, spoke reassuringly to him, and demanded an update from Bruce.

 

Steve smiled.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A little while later, they regrouped, as Bruce still hadn't been able to determine a cause, and Matt still hadn't woken up. Even if it was a first time seizure, he should have been conscious already. Steve could tell he was worried.

 

They pulled Foggy out of the room to offer more insight on Matt's history and medical conditions.

“Blind since nine, a lot of assorted other injuries, but he's never had a seizure, at least as far as I know,” Foggy insisted.

Steve rubbed his forehead. “Okay. So it's a new event. That can happen.”

“Well, what were you doing when this happened?” Foggy asked, mildly accusatory.

“Nothing, just watching a movie,” Clint told him.

“What movie?”

“Godzilla, the original version.”

“Yeah, in Japanese, because someone thinks it's better that way,” Tony muttered.

“Japanese?” Foggy asked, paling.

“Yes, why? Is that relevant?” Steve asked him. Based on the way Foggy looked, he was suspecting so.

Foggy shook his head. “Maybe, I don't know. I met the guy once, and he was a total asshole, which I gather is normal for him, but... as he was leaving, he said something to me in... well I think it was Japanese. I don't know Japanese, so it really could have been anything that sounds like Japanese, but I think it was. That guy was the same person who trained Matt when he was a kid, who was apparently preparing him for some war that was coming.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I don't know! But that dude was into some weird shit, and it wouldn't surprise me if he someone trained Matt to have seizures on command, or some other equally fucked up shit. Like, I know it sounds ridiculous, but so do aliens, and yet here we all are because you guys managed to shove them back in a wormhole.”

“It's not ridiculous,” Natasha said quietly, and Foggy jumped. Steve had noticed her come in, and so did Tony and Clint, but she was behind Foggy, and he wouldn't have been able to see her. “There is a precedent for such programming.”

“That fucking dick,” Foggy muttered. “I am going to murder him if he ever shows up near Matt again, I swear to god.”

“If he was part of the Hand or the Chaste...” Natasha said slowly. “He could have been training Matt to be one of their warriors. He might have even programmed him with trigger words.”

 

Steve's heart sank. Natasha knew all too well about what trigger words could do. She had been programmed by the Red Room to have a few that even she didn't know about. It took months for SHIELD to retrain her, and Steve knew that she still worried there were some she could never escape.

“What would he do that for?” Foggy asked. “He was just a little kid at the time.”

“Children grow up,” Natasha said stiffly. “And no one ever suspects them.”

They mostly moved past that unsettling truth, and Steve asked what they should do about it.

“You're not keeping him here forever,” Foggy said immediately.

“But we can't let him go around when anything could set him off,” Tony pointed out. “This time it was a seizure and brief catatonia, but what if next time it's more violent? What if it's a kill order, or something worse?”

“And how are we supposed to figure out what'll set him off?” Clint asked. “Go through all the Japanese words, then move on to phrases? It'll be impossible to do them all. And what if it's not just Japanese?”

“I might be able to find out the phrases,” Natasha said. She looked furious and disappeared down the hallway.

 

Foggy was the only one who did something more than blink at her disappearance, but he picked himself up quite quickly.

“What part of the movie were you at? We might be able to narrow down the phrase that caused it this time,” Foggy suggested.

“Jarvis, could you help us?” Steve asked.

“Of course Captain. Based on the scene you were watching, it's likely the phrase is something that Serizawa says while refusing to allow the oxygen destroyer to be used, or Ogata says while arguing with him. I can provide an English transcript if you desire.”

“That's good for now, thank you Jarvis. Something that's more for Natasha to look at when she gets back,” he explained to the others. “We really don't want to guess and test right now when he's still out of it. But if she gets a list of phrases, we can compare.”

“But for now?” Foggy asked.

 

“We wait. We observe him and let Bruce run more tests, and we wait for Natasha to get back. It's all we can do,” Steve told him.

Tony muttered something to himself and disappeared, probably to his lab, unsatisfied with an answering like 'wait and see'. Steve didn't blame him.

 

He returned Foggy to Matt's bedside, where the man was starting to stir, and the EEG showed promising changes. Clint took up watch in the corner.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Matt's return to consciousness was similar to the time he woke up on Claire's couch, sudden and alarming, with an influx of sounds all hitting him at once.

It was also similar in that he was no longer wearing his mask.

He groaned.

“Hey buddy,” Foggy said.

That was unexpected.

“Foggy,” Matt sighed with relief. If Foggy was there, it would be okay. It was safe.

“Hey Matt, it's good to see you awake. Do you think you can do some things for me?”

It took Matt an agonizingly long minute to place the voice, since he mostly dealt with the other side of the man.

“Bruce?” he asked, heart sinking.

“Yes, sorry, I should have introduced myself.”

Matt groaned again. The Avengers knew his identity, and he was somehow injured to the point where they felt the need to call Foggy. Which was weird, because he didn't feel injured. He hurt everywhere, but that was pretty normal, especially after a fight with the Avengers.

“Yeah, sure,” he grumbled, getting back to the original question.

“Okay, can you press both feet down on my hands like you're stepping on a pedal,” Bruce asked him, placing gloved hands below Matt's socked feet. He obeyed, and then pressed up when Bruce moved his hand to the other side. He squeezed hands and counted fingers and touched his nose with both hands, and generally aced the parts of the neurological exam that didn't require vision.

Bruce thoughtfully skipped those, which only confirmed what Matt suspected- they knew he was blind.

Well, it was bound to happen eventually.

 

“So what happened?” Matt asked finally, after Bruce's stream of questions slowed.

Foggy's heart picked up at his side.

“You had a seizure. Tonic clonic, just over two minutes, which I hear is a first for you. You've never had a seizure before?”

Matt shook his head, blinking. He had no idea what could have set that off. He didn't recall getting a head injury, although he supposed if it was bad enough, he might not have, but surely someone would have noticed something like that. “Never,” he said.

“That's okay,” Bruce said, nodding. “How do you feel now.”

“Tired,” Matt admitted. “A little sore, but nothing out of the ordinary. And very sticky,” he added, pulling at various electrodes taped to various parts of his body.

“Yeah, sorry about those. We were monitoring your brain waves and heart rhythms, just in case. Everything seems to be normal now though, as far as I can tell.”

“Not that kind of doctor, huh?” Matt asked, grinning.

Bruce smiled. “Not quite.”

Foggy let out a little squeak. “You're not a real doctor?” he asked.

“Well-” Bruce and Matt both said at the same time.

“He was never trained as a medical doctor,” Matt said quickly. “But he has practical experience in the field, as well as in nuclear physics and biochemistry, which is more than enough for me. Plus, he's one of the only people the Avengers trust with their health. It's fine Foggy.”

Foggy frowned, but didn't protest, and Bruce breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“So, any idea what caused the seizure?” Matt asked, and couldn't miss the way both their hearts picked up.

“Natasha thinks it could be linked to the movie we were watching, trigger words in another language. She's out looking into it right now,” Bruce said carefully.

Trigger words in another language? Causing him to have a seizure? Was that even possible?

Of course, only a few years ago, interdimensional travel and men in flying suits didn't seem possible, so perhaps they weren't so far off the mark. And if Natasha was looking into it, she had to believe it. She didn't go on missions she didn't believe in.

Matt wasn't sure if that made him more comfortable or just filled him with dread.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Natasha returned not an hour later with a steely look in her eyes and a crumpled piece of paper in her fist.

She pulled them aside to tell them, even going so far as to get Tony from his lab.

“I found them. Don't ask how, you won't want to know. The phrase that set him off this time was 'weak creatures', and it's meant as a distraction.”

“I suppose someone having a seizure would be a good distraction,” Tony muttered.

Natasha continued. “There are also five other commands in Japanese that he has been programmed with.”

“And what do they do?” Steve asked, already dreading the answer.

“Well, the one that we witnessed was actually pretty mild. There's also a state of suggestibility, one to kill the nearest person, a strict catatonia state, extreme violence, and... and the last one is a kill switch. Suicide.” Her face was blank as she said it.

Tony swore, and Clint looked like he was about to kill someone. Steve just felt sick. He was glad that Bruce wasn't in the room, or Foggy, since they had stayed with Matt.

He took a deep breath. “Is there anything we can do about it?”

She shrugged. “You can do what SHIELD did to me, expose him to the phrases in a controlled environment in the hopes that repeated exposure would limit the effects.”

Clint's head snapped up. “Nat, that was hell for you. You really think we should subject him to the same thing?”

“Of course not. But if there are no other options, we might have to. We can't let him roam the streets when he has kill codes. It's not safe for anyone. You know as well as I do that if someone triggered even one of the programs, a lot of people could die.”

“If it's an extreme option,” Steve interjected, “I don't think it should be our first choice. If it comes down to it, by all means it might need to be done, but it's not what we should start with.”

Natasha nodded, and Clint looked angry still. Tony was standing rigid in the corner, staring off into space.

“In the end, I think it's going to be his decision about which method he wants to try,” Steve added. “At least at first. There really are no ethical precedents for how to go about this.”

 

Clint hopped off the counter he was sitting on and headed down the hallway. “I'm going to see how he's doing,” he told them, and they all followed suit.

 

When the three of them got to medical, having lost Tony somewhere along the way, they found Matt doing better, sitting up and speaking with his friend. The confusion seemed to have worn off.

 

“His EEG is back to normal,” Bruce told them. “GCS is back at 15. Interacting normally. Vitals are normal, as far as I can tell for him.”

Natasha pulled him out of the room, probably to explain what they'd discovered and brief him on possible methods of deprogramming.

 

Foggy looked up. “Find something?”

Steve nodded. “I'll let Natasha tell you when she gets back, but she found a list of words that are the triggers.”

“Bruce explained to me some of it,” Matt said quietly. “Brainwashing. Programming. Trigger words. Whatever you want to call it. Stick just keeps coming back to bite me.”

Steve nodded, then corrected himself. “Yes. Sorry.”

Matt smiled a little bit. “Hell of a way to find out, huh?” he asked.

“Yeah. But it's probably worse for you than for us. We were okay with waiting, but this sort of forced our hand. I hope you don't mind that we contacted Foggy. Tony had a file on you that he apparently didn't open until today. Not sure if I believe that though.”

Matt shrugged. “None of you ever lied about not knowing it, so I believe him.”

“You know, this explains a lot about why you never stay for movie night,” Clint said thoughtfully.

Matt grinned. “It probably explains a lot of things.”

“Yeah, like why I thought you were colour blind.”

“I am, if you want to get technical,” Matt pointed out.

“No,” Clint told him.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Well, at least you're still getting along now that everyone knows everyone's name.”

Matt hummed.

 

Bruce and Natasha reappeared, Bruce with a slightly stunned look on his face, and Natasha looking just as displeased as she looked before.

 

“Heard you found a list,” Matt sighed. “I tried not to listen, but that much I picked up on.”

She nodded, and Foggy muttered her action to him a moment later.

“So?” he asked.

“Six commands in total, all in Japanese, designed to make you do a number of different things. All trigger words, well, phrases is more accurate, but they have they same effect.”

“And how are we going to fix this?” he asked.

“I have some experience in this area,” she said carefully. “It's not the most pleasant thing, deprogramming someone, but it does need to be done. You do understand that, don't you?”

Matt sighed, but nodded. He did.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Matt couldn't believe that his mind wasn't entirely his own, couldn't believe that something an asshole did to him _years_ ago was still inside him, could still control him.

 

It felt a lot like betrayal, not only on Stick's part (because Matt had learned long ago that the man did not have his best interests at heart), but from his own mind.

He felt like he had to tread lightly, within his own head, for fear of stepping on some waiting landmine.

 

 

* * *

 

 

While Natasha explained the basics of trigger words to Matt, Foggy scrolled on his phone. And when Natasha brought up possible methods of deprogramming, Foggy looked horrified and waved at her to stop.

“Look, I got a list of steps from the internet on how to deprogram someone. Can we at least try that first?” Foggy asked.

Steve and Natasha exchanged a glance, and she shrugged slightly. “Of course,” Steve assured him. “But some of us should be there as well.”

Foggy nodded.

 

* * *

 

Bruce deemed Matt was well enough to move and walk around on his own, so they headed to one of the Hulk proof rooms on a lower level. There was an observation room just off of it, where Clint, Tony, and Bruce stayed to supervise from afar.

 

Matt was seated at a table across from Foggy, Natasha and Steve flanking the sides of the room. The steps Foggy had found for undoing brainwashing were listed on his phone, and he squinted at the tiny text.

“Okay, step 1. 'Discredit the figure of authority'. I think we've got that one covered already, right?”

“Stick is an asshole,” Matt agreed.

“Cool. Onto number 2. 'Present contradictions, ideology versus reality'.” Foggy frowned. “I don't understand that one.”

“I think it applies more to a cult, where the ideology makes people think certain things,” Matt offered. “I don't have a problem with that, since it's not conscious.”

Foggy nodded. “Good. The third one is the breaking point, when reality beings to take precedence over ideology.”

“I can assure you that I've never valued ideology over reality.”

“Not entirely sure that's true,” Foggy muttered, “but I'll allow it.” He scrolled down on his phone. “Number 4. Self expression, when the subject begins to open up and voice gripes against the cult.”

Foggy looked up at Matt.

“It makes a lot of sense that Stick belonged to a cult,” Matt began thoughtfully, “but I honestly don't remember any of it. I'm more than happy to complain about the man though. His methods for training children were terrible.”

Foggy grimaced. “And onto 5. Identification and transference, when the subject begins to think of themselves as an opponent of the cult rather than a member of it.”

“I was definitely not a member,” Matt assured him. “At least not consciously. And I would be more than happy to oppose it in a fight, you know, provided that they can't set me off or anything.”

“Great. So that's it.” Foggy paused, and then frowned. “I don't think we solved anything.”

“No,” Matt agreed.

 

“Is it my turn yet?” Natasha asked, just loud enough for Matt and Steve to hear her, but not Foggy.

Steve grimaced. Foggy's method certainly didn't work, but he wasn't sure that meant it was time to move to Natasha's method, which would most likely involve suffering.

Steve suspected that Matt knew what Natasha's method involved, because he paled slightly.

Foggy looked insulted, which Matt must have somehow picked up on, because he began reassuring his friend.

“It's not like you're trying to get me to leave a cult,” Matt told Foggy gently. “It's not like you just have to change my way of thinking and I'll be fine; it's deeper than that. It made me have a seizure. It changed my brain waves for hours. It's not just psychological, it's physiological. I think it might be time to let someone else have a try.”

Foggy sagged. “I know that. But you know me. Ever hopeful.”

Matt smiled at him and patted him on the cheek. “That you are. Natasha?” he asked. “I believe you had some ideas.”

Steve grimaced. “You sure you want to jump to that? We could call Dr Strange, maybe Richards-”

“No!” Tony interrupted.

Steve ignored him. “Are you sure?” he asked again.

Matt nodded, and Foggy looked between them with concern.

“Should I be worried about this?” he asked.

No one replied, probably because they wouldn't be able to lie convincingly.

 

“You know me,” Matt said finally. “Murdocks always get up, right Foggy?”

Unsurprisingly, that didn't seem to assure him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some season 2 fics will be coming at some point.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve was shocked to find they had a genuine torture room. Or at least that's what it looked like when Natasha led them into a room with padded walls and floors, and multiple kinds of restraints.

She must have noticed Steve's shock, because she offered an offhand explanation. “In case of emergencies. Used to be for gymnastics, but can perform double duties. The restraints are mostly from medical.”

She didn't mention where the rest of the 'most' came from. Steve didn't ask.

 

They kept Foggy upstairs, not wanting to expose him to whatever may happen, and instead sent Tony to get a suit, in case they needed more backup. Steve was a super soldier, and Natasha was an assassin and spy, but Matt was the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, and who knew what could happen when he was possessed.

He kind of suspected they were about to find out.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Natasha stood in front of Matt, dressed still in the scrubs Bruce had given him, completely unarmed, and sitting on the padded floor.

She examined him, and Steve stood watch at her side.

“This is the order for suggestibility. After I give it to you, we are going to give you a series of commands. We want you to resist as much as possible. Got it?” she asked him.

Matt nodded.

She glanced back down at the paper before tucking it into her pocket and looking at him.

“無限の緊急性,” she told him.

Matt didn't seem to change.

“Get up,” she told him.

He did, but that didn't mean it was working. People tended to listen to Natasha.

“Now hit Steve,” she told him.

Matt hesitated, a look of pain coming over his face. He stood still for a moment, but then sprinted towards Steve, throwing a punch that he easily blocked.

Matt stopped, apparently having fulfilled his duty.

“Did I say try to hit him?” Natasha asked, annoyed. “I said hit him. Actually do it this time.”

 

This time, Steve let him, a left hook to the jaw that stung for a moment before it began to heal.

Matt stood back, looking somewhere torn between pride and disappointment.

“Are you even trying to resist?” she asked him.

“Yes,” he replied, strained.

“You need to try harder,” Steve said gently.

“I am,” Matt said through gritted teeth.

 

“Keep hitting him,” Natasha ordered.

 

They kept up like that for twenty minutes, sparring. Steve could heal quickly, but even he couldn't outpace Matt all of the time. The guy was good, and now that they knew about his weaknesses, that only gave Steve a slight leg up on him.

Matt's stamina was definitely less though, especially considering he'd recently had a seizure.

 

“Stop,” Natasha ordered, and Matt fell to the floor, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Steve knew he must have been exhausted.

She almost looked frustrated. “It's okay Matt,” she said more gently. “We'll try again in the morning. For now, sleep.”

Matt slumped instantly.

“Dammit,” Natasha muttered. “He took that as an order.”

 

They made sure that Matt had what he would need when he woke up, but left him in the room for the night. Jarvis had an eye on him, and they took watch shifts.

 

Foggy slept in a guest room and wasn't pleased about Matt being relegated to the floor, albeit of a padded room.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some self harm in this chapter, trying to lead to a suicide attempt, so be forewarned.

Matt woke up around six the next morning and was no longer under the control of Natasha's influence.

“I suspected,” she said, nodding to Steve. “Time limit. It's probably thirty minutes. He would have been near the end when I told him to sleep.”

 

They got Matt cleaned up and fed, and let him have some time with Foggy before Natasha started getting twitchy, and Steve reluctantly told Matt that they should recommence with the testing.

 

Matt agreed, and Foggy was sent off again so he wouldn't have to witness it. Especially not this one.

 

It was time for the chair. Steve got Matt strapped in while Natasha explained what they were about to do.

“This is the kill order. As soon as I say it, you're going to feel an undeniable need to kill or hurt yourself. It's going to be terrifying and overwhelming. We're not going to let you hurt yourself, and you need to combine that with an attempt to resist, so your brain gets rewired. Got it?”

“Yes,” Matt whispered.

“We're not going to let anything happen to you. You know that, right?”

Matt nodded, but Steve knew he was still afraid. Anyone in that situation should be afraid.

 

Steve checked the bonds once more, and nodded to Natasha.

“キャタピラ転げ回るせてはいけません,” she said.

Matt pulled at the bonds, arching his back and writhing to get free.

Steve looked on in horror. It was almost like the seizure, but worse, because Matt was conscious the whole time, even if not in conscious control.

The cuffs were padded for instances such as this, and still Steve worried that Matt might hurt himself.

“You have to let me out,” he pleaded. “I have to die. I have to.”

“Matthew, listen to me,” Natasha said firmly. “You are stronger than this. You are more than what he programmed you to be. You do not need to do this, you do not want to do this, and you do not have to do this.”

His eyes darted around wildly, and Steve wondered what he was thinking. Had they missed something? Was there still a way for him to hurt himself?

 

They had sedatives standing by, just in case something did happen, but the room was empty of anything Matt could use to hurt himself. Natasha had been the one to check it, sending out even the thin blanket. The only things that remained was the two of them, Matt, and the chair he was strapped into. They'd even replaced his clothes, removing anything with strings, buckles, or metal. Natasha didn't explain how socks could be dangerous, but Steve also suspected he didn't want to know.

 

Matt kept thrashing against the restraints, and before Steve could notice anything amiss, Natasha darted forward and jabbed him with one of the sedatives.

 

Matt was out before Steve could even ask what the hell she was doing.

“Get him out of the chair,” she ordered as Steve eyed her. “We've got to get him up to medical.”

It was then that Steve noticed the trickle of blood out of Matt's mouth.

“What happened?” Steve asked, already knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

She undid the straps as she spoke. “Biting your own tongue off isn't likely to lead to death, but it is a possibility. I think I got to him before he could do more than cut it a bit. May need a few stitches, but he should be okay.”

She positioned Matt's head against Steve's shoulder so the blood didn't drain back into his mouth, and Steve hurried out of the room and to the elevator.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Four stitches. He thought.

It was hard to tell considering his tongue was numb, but he was pretty sure it was four stitches.

“Wha' happen?” he asked.

“You tried to hurt yourself,” Natasha told him, sounding angry. Matt knew it was only directed at herself for not foreseeing it.

“Huh,” Matt said. “Don't fee' 'ike hurting myself,” he noted.

“Because the commands should wear off after thirty minutes, and the drug I gave you lasted longer than that,” she told him. “Bruce stitched you up. How's the tongue?”

“Numb,” Matt told them.

“Should wear off soon,” Natasha told him.

“Wha's nex'?”

“We're not sure,” she admitted. “We can keep going like this, but take more precautions.”

“Or?” Matt asked, when she didn't finish the other half of the sentence that should have been coming.

“We don't know,” Natasha said. “That's the problem. When SHIELD did this to me it was hard, but they didn't care. The problem is that we do. And plus, Foggy is mad as hell.”

Matt smiled. Or he thought he did. His mouth was kind of numb. Foggy was something else when he was angry. But he was kind of surprised that Foggy wasn't at his bedside.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“He could have died!” Foggy bellowed.

Steve winced. “He didn't though. He's safe now, and we're doing our best to make sure he-”

“Your best nearly ended up with him dead or unable to speak. He's a lawyer, he makes a living from talking,” Foggy snapped. “I'm not letting you do this anymore. I want to take him home. Where's Natasha?”

Like she knew she was mentioned, Natasha glided in. “Your friend is conscious and not feeling any homicidal or suicidal tendencies.”

“Good. Then he's ready to leave.”

Natasha narrowed her eyes. “He can't.”

“You can't keep him here against his will. Despite what your team may think, you are not above the law,” Foggy spat.

“Foggy,” Steve said, stepping in between them. He wasn't actually sure if Foggy would go as far as to try and hit Natasha, but he was pretty sure he would do anything for his friend, including attacking the Black Widow. “You know Natasha's right. You can't take him home. You can't keep him safe there.”

“Because he's so safe here?” Foggy growled. “How many stitches does he have?”

“If this had happened anywhere else than here he would be dead right now,” Natasha snapped.

“Or he could have been perfectly fine and not have been put through this trauma.”

Steve sighed. “Or he could have been used to kill dozens of people. No one knows what could have happened, all that we know is what has happened, and we have to decide what to do about it.” He turned to Foggy. “Look. I know this is hard for you. It's not easy for any of us, least of all Matt, but we are the only people who have experience with this. We won't do anything that you don't consent to, but we can't let you leave. Whether Matt likes it or not, he is a weapon. And you know he'd never forgive himself if he was used as one.”

Foggy sagged. “Oh god, that would be the worst.” He splayed a hand over his face and closed his eyes, took a minute.

“Okay,” he said finally. “He can stay for now. But before anything else happens, we all need to have a meeting. Except for Matt. I can't do that to him.”

Steve nodded. “That we can do. I'll go grab the others.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The drug was cleared from Matt's system enough that he could hear the argument on the floor below him.

“ _Whether Matt likes it or not, he is a weapon. And you know he'd never forgive himself if he was used as one._ ”

He heard Foggy sag, heard the moment he realized that Matt would not be able to come back from that.

It broke his heart.

He heard Foggy agree, but only under certain conditions, and listened as Steve went and gathered to have a meeting about him, without him.

Matt closed his eyes and wished he could sleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Natasha?” Bruce asked wearily. “What are our options?”

“The only one I know of is the one we've been doing. Rewiring his brain through repeated exposures to the phrases without him being able to accomplish their purposes. But it will be hard and take a long time, and some people,” she stole a glance at Foggy, “don't want us to do it.”

Foggy stared her down.

“Okay,” Steve said. “That's what Natasha knows. Does anyone else have any ideas? And honestly, it doesn't matter if they sound dumb, let's just get them out there.”

“Brain surgery,” Tony offered. “If I could make nanobots small enough to physically rewire his brain, we wouldn't have to put him through that in the hopes that repeated exposures would do it.”

“Okay...” Steve said. “Can you do that?”

Tony shared a look with Bruce, who shook his head slightly.

“The technology isn't at that point yet-” Tony began.

“No,” Foggy said firmly. “Nothing experimental.”

“But something we can keep in mind for the future,” Steve amended. Just in case. “Clint, do you have anything?”

“Has anyone actually tried hitting him on the head?” he asked. “Natasha called it cognitive recalibration, but it basically comes down to a concussion.”

“He's had plenty of those,” Natasha told him. “And your situation was different. That was magic. This is...” she shook her head. “Something else.”

“Anyone else?” Steve asked. Bruce looked blank, and Tony was avoiding eye contact.

 

Foggy looked thoughtful. “What about if you put him into a state of suggestibility and tell him to not respond to triggers anymore?” he suggested.

It was silent while they considered that.

 

“It sounds like it shouldn't work,” Clint said. “Just because it's so easy.”

“But it could?” Foggy asked hopefully.

They all turned to Natasha, the reigning expert.

She looked skeptical as well. “It could work,” she said slowly. “I doubt they considered putting in a clause to prevent it. Not like they're lawyers after all,” she added, smirking at Foggy. “It's definitely worth a try, even if it doesn't work. It certainly can't make things worse.”

 

Foggy looked pleased with himself, and Steve was a bit impressed too.

 


	10. Chapter 10

“無限の緊急性,” Natasha said carefully. “Matthew, in two minutes, you will no longer respond to any trigger commands that you have been programmed with, in any language, ever. They will be completely erased from your mind and will not have control over you. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Matt replied.

“Good. That bastard will not have control over you anymore, not if any of us can help it.”

 

They waited for two minutes to pass.

“Which one are you going to try now?” Steve asked.

“The first one I think. It has the most obvious manifestations. Come on Matt, we'll get you out of the restraints and onto the ground, just in case.”

She undid the restraints around his wrists, and Matt obligingly laid on the padded ground. Steve had to admit, it would be the best place for a seizure, if he was to have one.

But he desperately _desperately_ hoped that wouldn't be the case.

 

“弱い生き物,” Natasha said, echoing the words that had set this whole thing off.

They waited for Matt to freeze, then stiffen and shake, but it didn't happen.

And they waited.

And waited.

Ten minutes passed like that, and nothing happened, and Steve could have wept with relief. It had worked. It had _worked._

 

Natasha allowed herself a smile. “Well, I think we're on the right track Matt,” she told him. “But we can't assume that because one of the triggers doesn't work that you're cured now. We're going to have to test them all. I'm sorry.”

Matt nodded, pulling himself up and sitting in the chair again, allowing her to do up the restraints again.

But this time, there was something of hope on his face.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Natasha gave him each of the commands in turn. Matt did not try to kill himself, kill any of them, lash out at any point, nor did he go catatonic when that command was given.

 

She repeated them each a few times for good measure, and finally let him out of the restraints, Steve standing close by in case it was all just a ruse.

 

Matt just smiled at them. “It's gone. I don't... I can't feel it anymore. It's not pushing me, even after you said them. It's gone. Thank you.”

He wrapped both of them up in a hug, and Natasha only stiffened slightly.

“Thank you,” he repeated.

 

 

* * *

 

 

They didn't let him leave yet, not only because he'd nearly died multiple times that day and the one before, but because Steve knew there was the very real concern that they hadn't managed to erase the commands from Matt's mind. Perhaps they'd just been pushed deeper, only to be inactivated later by something else.

 

They did send Foggy home, seeing as how he'd been there for two days already, and someone needed to sleep. He wanted to protest, but Matt insisted, and when Steve looked very Captain America like at him sure didn't hurt.

They let Matt have a blanket, but he slept in the safe room again, with Jarvis keeping a watchful eye, and one of them nearby at all times, just in case.

No one really slept well that night.

 

Over breakfast, Natasha threw Japanese phrases at Matt, and when nothing happened, moved onto Mandarin, Italian, German.

Still nothing, and Matt only beamed over his smoothie.

 

Bruce ran tests for most of the morning, and Steve supervised some of them, Natasha popping in every so often just to throw more foreign phrases at Matt to see if he would react.

He never did, except the time she spoke in Spanish, and he replied.

He just shrugged at that. “What can I say. College.”

Natasha eyed him suspiciously, but left all the same.

 

Bruce found nothing, apparently, not that he knew what he was supposed to be looking for, which he reiterated multiple times. Matt's brain waves were the same as they had been before the whole seizure incident, and also didn't show signs of any recent or oncoming seizure activity. The MRI was clear, not that it would have shown anything, Bruce tried to tell them, and all the other tests were clear as well.

 

They ended the day over takeout, Natasha sitting across the table from Matt, throwing what seemed like every combination of words she knew in every language she possessed. Steve was impressed at the sheer number of languages. He lost count somewhere after French.

 

Matt passed everything Natasha threw at him with flying colours. He struggled to use the chopsticks to eat his rice, but Steve still hadn't mastered that skill, and he had full use of his vision, so he didn't think that was related.

 

They banished Matt to the safe room, which was also soundproof, so they could have a brief meeting.

 

“We can't keep him much longer,” Steve started by saying. “Not when he seems fine.”

“Agreed,” Clint said.

Natasha had a look on her face that might have been called worry if anyone else was making it. “He could still have deeper programming,” she insisted.

Tony hummed. “I'm torn on this. I mean, we can't let him wander the streets, especially not with his skills, if he's still going to explode when someone swears at him in Gaelic. But he also seems to be better, so I don't know how we'd determine anything either way.”

“He's fine from a medical standpoint,” Bruce chimed in. “EEG was normal, head scan, brain waves all point to it being him, not affected by anything else.”

“Bottom line is we can't keep him here,” Steve said firmly. “So we have to think of other solutions if we're worried about future reactions.”

“Tailing him 24/7 is the best option, but also the most impractical,” Natasha hummed. “Not to mention he would hate it.”

 

“No,” Foggy said suddenly. Steve had to admit he'd almost forgotten he was there. “I'm taking him home. You guys have done enough. I'm grateful and everything, but I'm also ending this now. You said yourself that he seems fine, and Natasha has been throwing everything she has at him. Nothing. No reaction. So I am going to take him home, where he can heal and work through this, because you can be sure he's all out of sorts after realizing that dick still had a hold on him after so many years. And if anything changes, I will call you.” He made eye contact with each of them in turn. “Got it?”

Steve nodded, and Natasha didn't fight it.

“Do you need any help?”

“As long as your computer opens the door and lets Matt out, we should be fine.”

“He will,” Steve assured him.

Foggy took off down the hall in the wrong direction, but Steve figured Jarvis would get him turned around soon enough.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Foggy opened the door, letting the outside world into the room. He was surprised at how much he missed it. For all that the world outside his head was overwhelming, he'd also grown used to it.

“Hey buddy,” he said. He didn't sound worried, which reassured Matt. Maybe he would get to go home.

“Hi,” Matt said. “How's it going out there?”

“I'm breaking you out of here Matty.”

“Home, please,” Matt said, looking up at Foggy hopefully.

“Of course,” Foggy said softly, and Matt could hear the soft smile on his face. He'd missed it, the last couple of days making him too stressed to smile.

“Do you have any idea where my clothes are?” Matt asked him.

Foggy surveyed him. “Ah. No. But I think we can find it. Jarvis?” he asked.

“I think you'll find Daredevil's clothing in the medical wing. Do you know the way?”

“I'm pretty sure we can find it. Thanks,” Matt said.

 

Together, they managed to get themselves up to the medical wing and find Matt's clothes, all without running into any of the Avengers, which Matt was kind of grateful for. He wasn't sure he had the energy to smile his way through a conversation.

 

Foggy thoughtfully turned his back while Matt got dressed, and he was thankful, even if it was only so Foggy couldn't see the new scars he'd amassed. Also probably some bruises, and definitely irritations on his wrists from pulling against the restraints. His tongue hurt a bit, but it was better than it being numb, and he'd never really had problems with pain before, so he managed to block it out.

“Okay,” he said finally, taking Foggy's arm. He'd brought Matt clothes and glasses, but had forgotten a cane. Easy enough mistake, really. His costume was stuffed in a bag, which he held close to his body.

 

“I'm sure we can figure out how to get out of here,” Foggy told Matt, leading him the wrong way. “I got in here after all, right?”

“It's the other way,” Matt said, nudging him gently.

Foggy definitely rolled his eyes, but turned around, and soon enough they were in an elevator, heading down.

 

“Cured huh?” he asked.

Matt nodded. “As far as I can tell.”

“I dunno man, I feel like they should have left the suggestibility one, even if it was just so I could get you to sleep more.”

“Foggy,” Matt protested, but he smiled as he did, and he knew Foggy was too.

“I'm just saying!”

Matt sighed, but he smiled, and squeezed Foggy's arm a bit where he was holding onto it. “Thanks for coming. And for the amazing idea that saved the day.”

“I frequently save the day. It's just that it often gets overshadowed by you saving the day, because you do it on a greater scale, and in tights, so.”

“Not tights,” Matt mumbled, but he knew it was true. People often underestimated Foggy, for one reason or another. “But it makes you like, a secret weapon.”

Foggy wrinkled his face. “Thanks. I think?”

Matt laughed, leaning his head on Foggy's shoulder briefly. “It's definitely a compliment,” he muttered.

 

The elevator dinged and announced their arrival on the first floor, and Foggy led Matt out through the lobby into the sun.

 

“So...” Foggy started, as Matt held his face up to the sun like a meerkat. “Godzilla tonight?”

Matt groaned. “No. Not even in English. It's not that good of a movie Foggy!” he protested, and Foggy just laughed as they headed home down the street.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lack of updates recently. Despite being done school, I'm busier than ever. Studying for the MCAT is kicking my ass.  
> I do have multiple stories in the works, including a remix of The Murdock Mystery, so that will be coming shortly. Hopefully.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the movie The Manchurian Candidate, which I haven't actually seen, but I've been reliably informed (by TvTropes) that it's the same thing as what happens here to Matt.


End file.
